* Several journalists, public leaders and leaders of opposition were
tortured and humiliated during the long march.

* The long march has destabilised the economy and the investment has
been reduced to a trickle.

* Pakistan is due to be declared a terrorist state by USA along with
Libya, Iraq, Iran, North Korea and Syria.

* Controversy of Islamic Bomb is again surfacing while Hindu Bombs,
Jew Bombs and Christian Bombs are rolling around.

The chaotic weeks that passed under the spell of long march exposed
both the government and the opposition. Political leaders, journalists
and party workers faced worst type of torture. Mariana Barbar a senior
journalist was made a football by the police while Azim Siddiqui faced
worst kind of attack and humiliation. Salman Taseer was tortured during
his political detention. In fact he was punished for releasing. A
massive documentary evidence clearly involving Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif in the cooperative scandal as well
as prime minister's acting role in the operation Midnight Jackal
exposing corruption and fraud in relation to land discretionary funds,
and pocketing of huge amount of commission from the motorway project.

The Lahore High Court Bar Association passed a resolution condemning
the government for its high handedness while dealing with the PDA long
march. The Bar took particularly serious notice of the statement by
Chief Minister Ghulam Hyder Wyne threatening to break the limbs of the
leaders and the workers participating in the protest march.

A day before the Bar Association's centenary celebration the
High Court Bar Association passed a resolution calling for the ouster of
the IJI government, and its replacement by an interim regime, so that
clean elections could be held. The unprecedented initiative by the
country's biggest Bar was not wholly a political avowal; it was
mainly the jurists reaction to ministerial pronouncements that arms and
legs would be broken (and they were), the unjustified, unexplained
detention of thousands of men and women, and torture by the police of
senior lawyers and other political leaders.

A day earlier the lawyers had given a rebuff to Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif by inviting Benazir Bhutto as chief guest at the inaugural
function of the centenary and by asking Nawaz Sharif not to attend it as
there was sharp reaction against him among the lawyers community. The
resolution is an indicator of the growing unpopularity of the government
on account of its disregard for human rights and its strong-arm tactics
against the Opposition. The resolution must be taken seriously as it
reflects the mood of the senior-most body in the country associated with
the interpretation of the law of the land. It is also important to note
that as many as 40 lawyers associated with the PML are reported to have
voted for the resolution.

There were protests from abroad against the treatment of the state in
regard to protest march. The US administration has conveyed its
displeasure to Islamabad over the treatment meted out to Benazir Bhutto
and other PDA leaders. The European Community, individual governments
like Italian and Libyan have all joined in protest to Islamabad.

It was alleged by the Prime Minister that opposition programme to
bring people on streets was a manifestation of negative politics and
that the democratic system disallowed such a display of street power. It
was said that Long March amounted to treason against the state and
threat to democratic institutions. The state owned television and radio
was extensively used for propaganda against the opposition whose leaders
were dubbed an anti-national and agents of some unnamed power.

There is no Article in the constitution which could be said to have
violated by mere call for such a procedure to be adopted by a political
party or a group of parties. Even a non-political party or group of
citizens is constitutionally entitled to assemble and voice their common
demands in the exercise of their fundamental rights as citizens of the
state.

On the contrary the closure of the G.T. Road, obstruction of the
Attock Crossing or the cutting out of all routes leading to the capital
be considered reasonable restrictions. The running of knee deep water
over the Liaquat Bagh in Pindi and the barbed wiring of all roads
leading into Islamabad. Even the normal traffic on the highway including
hospital ambulances which were seen parked for hours were prevented from
pursuing their journey. It is the administration rather than the
opposition which could be accused of having violated the Constitution.

According to a political observer the forcible eviction of the leader
of the opposition from the capital, her removal to Karachi and banning
of her entry in Islamabad and Peshawar which has since been withdrawn
were clearly high handed acts of the administration violatory of another
Article of the Constitution allowing every citizen the right to remain
in and enter and move freely throughout Pakistan again subject to
reasonable restriction.

After all what are the demands of the opposition for which the
necessity of long march had arisen. In the words of Ms. Benazir Bhutto
"We are asking for a national government which can hold fair and
free elections under an independent election Commission, elections which
respect the peoples' verdict and do not seek to by-pass national
leaders to exact yet another farce to make a mockery of the nation and
dreams, hopes of our people".

"A national government that can achieve the necessary electoral
reforms, a national government charged with the task of curtailing
expenditure, reducing inflation, ending one-sided accountability, and
reclaiming the loot and plunder of the national wealth, national
government legally created to replace an illegally installed regime with
a rigged mandate .... What we have today is a regime raised by the
'midnight jackal'. It is illegally installed and unacceptable
to the masses. When an amendment to hang people can be rammed down the
throat injust 30 minutes, certainly an amendment can be made to heal the
nation's wounds".

President's Second Term

The president's five-year term ends on December 15, 1993. Under
Article 41(4) of the constitution, election to the office of president
has to be held not earlier than 60 days and not later than 30 days
before the end of the incumbent president's term. This means that
the earliest date on which the election for the next president can be
held is October 16 next year and the latest date is November 14.

The constitution also provides that if the election cannot be held
within the aforementioned period because the national assembly stands
dissolved, it shall be held within 30 days of the general election to
the assembly. This provision is one of the biggest weapons in the hands
of an incumbent president to get the assembly members to back his
re-election bid. Even the implied threat of dissolution would be enough
to get many members to think twice about opposing an incumbent
president's re-election bid. A understanding appears to have been
reached between the President and IJI government that he would get its
support in such an eventuality.

In President Ishaq Khan's case, any such bid bid would be
further strengthened by the fact that the senate is packed with members
who are considered his men and by the fact that the IJI majority in the
national assembly includes many members who would be only too willing to
switch allegiances if ever it came to a contest between an
establishment-backed Ishaq candidacy and a rival candidate put up by the
Prime Minister.

When the elections are held under the Second Schedule the number of
votes available to the candidates will be 217 from the National
Assembly, 87 from the Senate and 180 from the four provincial
assemblies. Since the Balochistan Assembly has only 45 members, the rest
of the provinces will be allowed only 45 votes as the number is
determined by the assembly which has the least members.

President Ghulam Ishaq Khan is lobbying for the second term and
according to reports IJI government has assured him of the second term.
The President on his own has started a survey of securing a second term.
Age, according to him is no bar. The why the age is bar for others. It
is like perpetuating one's rule for in definite like the former
dictator General Ziaul Haq. Apart from age, the office of the President
symbolists the unity of the state. His role has to be a non-partism one.
On ore than one occasion his role remained partism. His role in the
Sindh politics is not at all above criticism nor his references against
the leader of the opposition have any relevance. It will be in the
interest of the whole the nation that be should announce that he is not
running for the second term.

Apart from President Ghulam Ishaq Khan himself, those said to be in
the running include National Assembly speaker Sohar Ayub Khan and Senate
Chairman Wasim Sajjad. Former Army Chief of Staff Aslam Beg's name
has also been mentioned. Defence Minister Ghouse Ali Shah's name
also crops as a possible candidate. Mr. Nawaz Sharif nurses presidential
ambitions of his own. But it is unlikely that such plan would find much
support in the Islamabad establishment.

Islamic Bomb Controversy

Pakistan has now become a target of criticism over, the nuclear
development. A documentary shown in two parts, on NBC claims to
highlight some significant aspects relating to Pakistan's nuclear
programme. NBC claims that Pakistan "has seven atomic bombs".
Interviews with Washington's legislators, CIA officials and former
State Department officials have been cited by NBC to prove its
allegations. These include that Islamabad made the bomb while US was
giving it aid and that Zia was the 'architect' of the bomb.

Within the context of Pakistani politics the most significant part of
the NBC programme relates to the 'revelations' made by
Pakistan's former Prime Minister and current Opposition Leader
Benazir Bhutto. Three are important. One that Pakistan does have nuclear
capability. Benazir says, "although I cannot vouch for this but I
feel someone may have turned on the nuclear switch in the Spring of
1990..."

According to Fred Francis's exclusive report for NBC. Pakistan
has not one bomb but a nuclear arsenal that is stored around Islamabad.
Pakistan was ready to use these bombs in 1990 when India was suspected
of preparing for an invasion of Pakistan under the disguise of military
exercises near Pakistani borders. Benazir, then Prime Minister, was
informed by the Americans of such developments, who in turn scolded the
army brass for not informing her. She was ousted due to her
disagreements with the military. According to the reporter, this was the
first nuclear coup'.

Political observers suggest that the best policy for Pakistan would
be to have a dual approach for meeting the security needs. At one level
there is need to develop a strong regional alliance with other states
having a commonality of interests like Iran and China, Pakistan can
never match India quantitatively or quantitatively in the field of
conventional arms.

COPYRIGHT 1992 Economic and Industrial Publications
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